


Married Life

by Merixcil



Series: BatCat Week 2017 [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Catwoman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bondage References, Everyday sexism, F/M, Married Couple, sex references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24944788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merixcil/pseuds/Merixcil
Summary: A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but Selina's perfectly happy with her own name, thank you very much
Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne
Series: BatCat Week 2017 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805317
Kudos: 11





	Married Life

"Hello? Is that Mrs Wayne?"

Selina slams the phone down before they can get another word in. That's the fourth time today someone's tried her patience with this bullshit and if it happens again she's going to disconnect the line. It's not even midday, for God's sake. She'd rather hoped that assumptions about last name changes had been thrown out along with the previous century. 

She eyes the phone suspiciously, debating calling Bruce just to be sure he hasn't surreptitiously changed her name on any public records. On the one hand she doesn't want to think he'd be so inconsiderate but on the other he's a control freak who has trouble understanding other people's boundaries. He's probably still asleep, given the time of day. What with his hectic night time schedule he rarely rises before four in the afternoon.

Neither does Selina. Unfortunately she has places to be, so she shoots him a text reminding him that she's booked them a table for dinner and grabs her coat to leave. Isis curls around her ankles as she makes for the floor, purring aggressively like she thinks it's feeding time. She jumps onto the stand where Selina throws the mail when she doesn't have the time or energy to deal with. 

"Yeah, I know." Selina huffs when Isis pushes aside a stack of coupons to reveal what looks like this month's electricity bill with the words _Selina Wayne_ imprinted above the address. 

Holly squeals when Selina walks into her corner store. "Oh my God, you made it! It's been too long, how are you?"

"I'm good." Selina smiles as she's almost knocked over by the force of the hug she's pulled into. 

Holly squeezes her tight before taking a step back to get a better look at her. "You look good. How's married life treating you?"

"The same as ever." Selina replies. Holly asks her the same thing every time they meet. "You know, I didn't up and get a whole new life because someone got round to putting a ring on it."

"Oh come on, you married Bruce motherfuckin' Wayne. That's gotta change _something_."

"We were on and off for years before he popped the question. Trust me, the only thing that's changed is the ring."

"And a fine ring it is too. I don't think you could have stolen yourself a nicer one." Holly blows a kiss towards the frankly ridiculous diamond on Selina's left hand as she dashes behind the counter to grab her coat. 

Selina eyes her warily. "What are you doing?"

"What are _we_ doing, you mean?" Holly ushers her out of the shop, flips the sign on the door to 'closed; and locks up behind them. "We are gonna go get coffee with some of your preposterously rich husband's money, Mrs Wayne."

"That's not my name!" Selina snaps. But she could really use a pick me up, and there's a place a couple of blocks from here that makes an espresso strong enough to make your eyes water. It sounds nicer than having to play catch up while Holly serves customers. 

Using the card Bruce gave her is always something of a moral dilemma. Having more or less unlimited funds sitting in her pocket certainly makes life easier but it has the name _Wayne_ imprinted across the front in neat silver letters and she's not at all sure she likes that. 

Not _Selina Wayne_ , mind. Bruce isn't that stupid. He tries to keep the cards he hands out to his family members as generic as possible, claiming that it helps protect their identities but it doesn't sit entirely right with her. She's been meaning to ask him to get her one specific to her for a few weeks now. 

Holly loves the thrill of spending Bruce's money though, so Selina gets them each a coffee and a slice of cake with the card and they depart to the back of the cafe. 

"I dont get it." Holly points her cake fork at Selina accusingly. "You're a married woman now, why do you still have your old apartment?"

"Because it's mine." Selina says. She loves the Manor, she has her own room there with a wardrobe full of her clothes and full access to Bruce's suite. She usually winds up staying there at least twice a week but much as it's become her second home, she doesn't think she could ever give up the life she made for herself entirely. 

Besides, Isis doesn't like dogs. Ace and Titus would be far too much for her baby. 

"Isn't that weird though? Like he's you're husband, but he's on the other side of the city without you." Holly shakes her head. "I dunno, Selina. I wouldn't trust a guy with that kind of reputation on his own. Don't you get worried that hes gonna start up with the supermodels and actresses again?"

Selina wouldn't bat an eyelid if she walked in on Bruce engaging in a hundred strong orgy without her prior permission, she doesn't have the energy for that kind of jealousy. Nor does she have the heart to explain to Holly that the playboy shtick has always been more or less an act and that Bruce's sexual interests are so few and far between it's a wonder he ever got it up for any of the arm candy he used to ponce around with. It would rather ruin the magic of her supposedly 'tying him down'. 

She has no such qualms when it comes to being honest about how many times she's tied Bruce down in the literal sense, but she doesn't go for that kind of talk without a couple of glasses of wine in her. ""Listen, I wouldn't have married him if I didn't trust him."

"So it's just me being paranoid?" Holly asks around a mouthful of cake. 

"Pretty much." Selina smirks. "So tell me, when are you and Bethany getting hitched?"

Selina waves Holly goodbye outside the cafe and sets off to a rather more formal appointment at the bank. She's gone ten blocks and has been more or less drenched before she remembers that she could have caught a cab on the Wayne family dime. It rains so much in Gotham that she'd pretty much forgotten it was possible to get from Point A to Point B without getting soaked. 

She doesn't bother hailing a cab, she's already wet. Selina arrives at the Gotham National Bank looking like a drowned rat and there's little she can do to salvage her appearance but smile willingly at the clerk they've assigned to deal with her. 

The clerk, a young guy who smells like he has just enough money to forgo common decency, barely disguises his sneer when he looks up at her. "How can I help you?"

Selina can practically read his mind, it's all spelled out in his face. Hes wondering why on Earth this weirdo brown woman thinks she has the right to stand in this building, steadily dripping onto the atrium tiles. She adopts a simpering smile. "I'm here to view my safety deposit box."

That's the truth, just not the whole truth. Bruce has it on good authority that Blackmask is storing something big in the same vault as Selina's personal safety deposit box. He's far too much of a goody two shoes to take advantage of an opening like that, not without weeks of planning, and he doesn't have the gymnastic skills to pull off what she's planning. 

Selina's missing that instinct to look before she leaps, it's not a big deal when you know you're going to land on all fours. Blackmask is trying to consolidate power amongst the drug dealers that circle Gotham Heights like vultures and she's not going to stand for it. 

The clerk's face doesn't soften. "Do you have your key?"

Selina pulls the key Bruce gave her out of the insides of her coat and hands it over. The clerk starts fiddling with his computer, squinting at the screen as he pulls up her details.

It's sort of beautiful, the moment of sheer panic that crosses his face when he realises who she is. "I...er...my apologies, Mrs Wayne."

It's easier not to correct him. Selina lets her eyes go wide in forced confusion. "What are you apologising for?"

"Nothing." The clerk gets to his feet in a rush. "Please, follow me."

Selina stays a few paces behind him, bringing up her hand to hide a laugh. 

The Ocelot is a Gotham institution, and like all restaurants with that kind of clout it charges through the nose and makes you feel like a slob if your appearance is anything less than immaculate. Luckily, Selina scrubs up pretty well. She's wearing a low cut green velvet number hat's just the right side of smart-casual to make her look like she dines out like this all the time. 

She sips at a glass of red that tastes like Bruce is going to pay for everything tonight. He's running late, not enough to worry her but getting there. 

A waiter slinks past to ask her if she'd like another bottle. She's been here often enough that the staff know not to ask if anyone will be joining her. 

Someone always joins her, usually a mark but a couple of times she's come to The Ocelot for the joy of it. This will be her forth actual date here. 

Assuming Bruce shows up. Selina fires off a text asking where he's got to. 

He doesn't reply, but he arrives five minutes later, dashing to his seat. "Sorry I'm late."

Selina raises an eyebrow. "You should be. Twenty minutes? I was starting to think you stood me up."

"I know, I know. Work stuff. I'll tell you about it later."

That's interesting. It normally takes quite a bit of needling to get him to divulge his 'work' plans. 

"Great." Selina leans over the table to pour Bruce a glass of wine that he almost certainly won't drink. "I got some _work_ done today too."

Bruce looks at her, still frazzled from the tearing hurry he was evidently in to make it here tonight. His eyes focus, then narrow. "Selina, you didn't."

"I did. It's done. Don't worry about it."

He opens his mouth to deliver what was no doubt intended to be a winning argument as to why messing with Blackmask like that is at best foolish and at worst deadly, but is interrupted by the maitre d stepping over to their table to get his attention. "Mr Kyle?"

"Yes?" Bruce doesn't even flinch.

The maitre d holds out a slim black wallet. "You dropped this on your way in."

"Oh. Thank you."

"Quite alright Mr Kyle."

Bruce pockets the wallet and turns back to Selina, frowning. He's lost his train of thought. "Where was I?"

"Hey, c'mon. Let's have dinner and save the work talk for later." Selina can feel herself grinning like a loon but she can't quite bring herself to care. 

Bruce cocks his head, smiling slightly back at her. "What?"

"Nothing." Selina shakes her head. They can have a conversation about the name on her mail another time. 

**Author's Note:**

> This work was originally posted as part of a multi chaptered 'BatCat Week 2017' fic that I'm trying to split up. If you think you've read it before, you probably have


End file.
